Electrical terminal block



May 25, 1954 wL 2,679,634

ELECTRICAL TERMINAL BLOCK Filed May 17, 1950 Snuentor attorneys PatentedMay 25, 1954 ELECTRICAL TERMINAL BLOCK Joseph Rawley, Flint, Mich.,assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation ofDelaware Application May 17, 1950, Serial No. 162,489

3' Claims.

This invention relates to electrical terminal connectors and hasparticular relation to devices for use in the relatively uniformly timedassembly operations by which automobiles and other articles ofmanufacture. and the parts and subassemblies for such automobiles andarticles, are produced.

Heretofore it has been customary to employ connectors comprising blocksor strips of electrically insulative material upon which were disposedspaced bars of electrically conductive material to which oppositelydisposed pairs of terminals were connected by screws projecting throughthe opposite ends of the bars and into openings formed in theelectrically insulative material. These screws were projected intothreaded openings in the bars but were not tightened during themanufacture of the connectors. They were loosely assembled in thismanner to permit the terminals to be inserted under the screws durin theassembly operations in which these connectors later were employed. Whilethese bars have been disposed in parallel relation to one another, inmany instances, there has been no means, or only ineffective means onthe bars, to guide the terminals with respect to one another and withrespect to the bars and it has therefore been possible to assemble theterminals at various angles with respect to the connector, hence makingit possible to do less than what might be considered a workmanlike jobof assembling these terminals.

Also, inasmuch as the screws which have been employed in the connectorsare merely loosely started in the connector bars, it has been possiblefor these screws to move relative to the bars during shipment of theconnectors and during the handling thereof prior to the assemblyoperations in which they have been employed. Sometimes these screws cameout and were lost and it has been necessary in the midst of assemblyoperations to find other screws and to replace the screws. Also thescrews have been movable relative to the bars to such an extent as tocause variation in the number of turns required to tighten the screws.This has resulted in a tendency to vary the time required in successiveassembly operations. Such variation is objectionable in theseoperations.

An object of the invention therefore is to provide an electricalconnector in which a plurality of terminals can be assembled at arelatively uniform rate and without the necessity for interruptingassembly operations for the purpose of finding and replacing screws,lining up terminals, adjusting the angles of terminals, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connectorwith guide means for guiding electrical terminals into position withrespect to the connector so that the terminals will be aligned withrespect to one another and the terminal bars with which the terminalsare adapted to contact.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient lockin stripor bar for the terminal securing means of electrical connectors, toprevent the terminal securing means from becoming lost or improperlypositioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a locking strip or bar forthe terminal securing means of electrical connectors which will pivot onmeans for electrically connecting the ter minals and which is relievedand bent away from the terminal connecting bar to permit the ,terminalsto be inserted without the ends of the terminals engaging the conductingbar beyond the terminal securing means.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following specification and from the appended drawing,in which: I

Figure 1 is a plan view of an electrical terminal connector embracingthe principles of the invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through thestructure disclosed byFigure 1. Figure 2 is taken substantially in the plane of line 2-2 onFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of a locking member employed in thestructure disclosed by Figures 1 and 2. i

Referring particularly to Figure 1, numeral it indicates the end of anelectrically insulative strip across which a plurality of connector barsll may be disposed in spaced and parallel relation. The bars H havelaterally and inwardly bent ends indicated at 12 which are adapted toextend about and to receive the oppositely disposed edges of the strip10. Spaced terminals securing screws 13 and It are adapted to projectthrough threaded openings 16 formed transversely in the bars l2 andadjacent the opposite ends thereof. Openings I! are formed in the stripIll for the purpose of allowing the threaded ends of the screws 13 and Mto project through the strip H7. The openings l! are larger than thescrews so as to receive the screws without engagement therewith.

The bars H have elongated guides l8 projecting from the upper surfacesthereof, the thickness of the guides l8 being practically the same asthe thickness of bifurcated ends it of terminals 2! adapted to beconnected in pairs by the connector bars II. The width of the guides 18is somewhat less than the diameter of the screws l3 and i i-and theguides l8 project be tween the screws with the opposite edges thereof inparallel relationto the corresponding edges of the screws.

When the terminals 2! are secured in place beheath the screws [3 and [4,the bifurcated ends IQ of the terminals will be projected inelectrically contacting engagement with the surfaces of the bars I i andon opposite sides of the screws l 3 and i4 and the guides 18.

The screws l3 and M are adapted tov project through openings 22 formedadjacent the opposite ends of arcuate and resilient locking strips ormembers indicated at 23. The openings 22 have radially disposed slitsprojecting therefrom, which define the ends of arcuate lockin membersindicated at 2B. The opposite ends of the members are successively bentin opposite directions adjacent the slits referred to, to provideresilient locking lugs indicated at 30. These lugs engage the screwheads and the terminal ends !9 for resiliently opposing the looseningmovement of either the screws or the terminals.

The middle portions of the members 23 are formed in such a way as toprovide transversely extending beads 24, the convexly curved surfaces ofthe beads 24 being adapted to engage the upper surfaces of the guidesH3. The beads 24 therefore provide fulcrum means for the strips 23 onwhich the strips are supported by the guides E8. The beads 2 also areformed to provide relief portions 26 adjacent the opposite reverselybent edges thereof, these relief portions being disposed substantiallyabove and in spaced relation to the ends of the terminals 2|, when the.terminals are disposed in operative relation to the bars I l.

The heads of the screws 13 and M, which are indicated at 25, are adaptedto tighten opposite ends of the locking members 23 downwardly againstthe upper surfaces of the terminals 2|, when the terminals 2| aresecured in operative or electrically contacting engagement with respectto the bars I I.

When the screws 13 and M are in retracted positions the heads thereofare indicated in dotand-dash lines at 28. In such dot-and-dash linepositions of the screws, the opposite ends of the lockin members 23 alsoare indicated in dot-anddash lines at 27.

When the opposite ends of the members 23 are contracted into thepositions indicated at 27, it will be apparent that the ends of the barswill tend to engage the edges of the heads of the screws, and willtherefore tend to. tilt the screws within the threaded opening l5 sothat the screws will tend to oppose and toiresist accidentaldisplacement from the retracted positions in which the heads of thescrews are positioned.

When the terminal connector devices are assembled for shipment, thescrews l3 and I4 and the locking members 23 are disposed in thedotand-dash positions indicated at 28 and 21 respectively in Figure 2.The screws and the lookin devices associated therewith are adapted toremain in the positions indicated at 21 and 28 until an assemblyoperation is to be performed and at which time the terminals 2| areinserted with the bifurcated ends l9 thereof on opposite sides of thescrews l3 and i4 and in opposed relation to the ends of the guides l8.Thereupon the screws l3 and M are tightened within the openings it untilthe opposite ends of the looking members 23 are brought firmly downagainst the adjacent surfaces of the terminals 2 I. Under suchcircumstances, the lockingmembers 20 which are formed in the members 23wi1l tend to bear against the lower surfaces of the heads of the screws[3 and I4 thereby tending to.prevent rotational movement of the screwsthat 4 might affect the electrical contacting engagement between theterminals and the opposite ends of the bars I I.

With such connector devices assembled with the screws thereof insubstantially equally retracted positions, it will be apparent that thescrews may be tightened upon the terminals with practically the samenumber of degrees of rotation of each screw with respect to theconductor bars supporting, the screws. It will also be apparent that theresilient lockin members 23 will tend to maintain the screws againstaccidental movement from either of the operative positions for thescrews, thereby rendering the terminals suitable for the relativelyuniformly timed assembly operations previously referred to.

I claim:

1. A terminal block comprisin an electrically insulative strip, anelectrically conductive bar secured to said strip, terminal screwsoperatively engaging said bar and projecting from opposite ends thereof,terminal guide means projecting from said bar and between said screws,and a resilient lockin strip having the opposite ends thereof disposedbeneath said screws and having a transversely disposed bend portionintermediate the ends thereof engaging said terminal guide means.

2. A terminal block comprising an electrically insulative strip, anelectrically conductive bar secured to said strip and having the endsthereof projectin laterally and inwardly adjacent the edges of saidstrip and around said strip, a pair of terminal screws engaging said baradjacent the opposite ends of said bar, resilient locking means disposedbeneath said screws, said looking means having laterally disposed endportions adapted to follow the operation of said screws throughout theoperative movement of said screws, and terminal guide means projectingfrom said bar and extending between said screws, said guide means beingdisposed in opposed relation to an intermediate portion of said lockinmeans,

and supporting said locking means throughout the range of operation ofsaid screws.

3. A terminal block comprising an electrically insulative strip, anelectrically conductive bar secured to said strip, terminal screwsoperatively engaging said bar and projecting from opposite ends thereof,terminal guide means projecting from said bar and between said screws, aresilient locking strip having the opposite ends thereof disposedbeneath said screws and having a transversely disposed bend portionintermediate the ends thereof engaging said terminal guide means, saidopposite ends of said locking strip havin holes through which saidscrews extend, and secondary locking means in engagement with saidscrews to resist turning of said screws within said holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 918,617 Walsh Apr. 20, 1909 1,639,161 Bohlman Aug. 16, 19 71,659,303 Rovere Feb. 14, 1928 2,099,117 Kelsay Nov. 16, 1937 2,277,443Livingston Mar. 24, 1942 2,377,187 Schey May 29, 1945 2,437,339 WebsterMar. 9, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 552,503 Great BritainApr. 12, 1943

